Best MLB Bets Today: Betting Big on Division Rivalries

Our bets for today come from a pair of divisional matchups. The first comes from an AL East battle between the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. The other is a showdown between the NL Central’s bottom two teams as the Chicago Cubs take on the Cincinnati Reds.

Below, we will share our favorite bet for both of these games. The odds we use will be taken from FanDuel Sportsbook, which offers a welcome bonus of $150 in Bonus Bets when signing up and making an initial winning wager of $5+.

Best MLB Bets Today: Blue Jays vs. Orioles (6:35 PM EST)

Orioles -1.5 (+105) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Blue Jays enter this game, having already sold off some key players. The loss of those players will be on full display as they face a great Orioles team that will have Corbin Burnes (10-4, 2.45 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) on the mound tonight. 

Burnes has not disappointed since being acquired from the Brewers in the offseason. The former Cy Young winner ranks seventh in overall record, third in ERA, and thirteenth in WHIP. We expect him to improve in all three categories as he faces a short-handed Blue Jays team that ranks twentieth in batting average and twenty-fifth in runs scored.

Toronto will have Chris Bassitt 98-9, 3.78 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) starting opposite Burnes tonight. The 35-year-old has had an impressive career, but things have gotten ugly in July. He owns a 6.23 ERA across four starts this month, with the Jays losing three games.

Bassitt’s struggles are unlikely to yield tonight as he faces an Orioles team that ranks fourth in runs scored and ninth in batting average. Baltimore hasn’t seen the veteran pitcher in 2024, but they hammered him for 12 runs over nine innings last year. We expect to see a similar result tonight as Bassitt continues to struggle.

Bet on Orioles -1.5 (+105) at FanDuel

Best MLB Bets Today: Cubs vs. Reds (7:10 PM EST)

Cubs ML (-130) at FanDuel Sportsbooks

While we don't know if newly acquired Isaac Paredes (.245 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI) will be in the lineup tonight, we love the Cubs to walk away with a win. That is primarily because they will have Justin Steele (2-4, 3.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) on the mound tonight.

Steele missed April with an injury but has returned to form over the last two months. He finished June with a 2.13 ERA and currently owns a 2.77 ERA through four starts this month. The lefty will face the Reds for the third time this season, allowing a combined two earned runs over 12 innings. 

It is hard to trust this Cubs team at the plate and on the field, but the bullpen has been better lately. That gives Chicago a significant edge in games where Steele is starting, allowing them to protect small leads en route to wins. 

The Reds will have Frankie Montas (4-8, 5.01 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) starting on the hill tonight. The 31-year-old is having a rough season and has a 7.71 ERA across four starts this month. He is getting beaten up by some of the worst offenses in the league, a category that includes the Cubs. 

Montas faced the Cubs last month, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks over 1 1/3 innings. While tonight’s start comes at home, we don’t see that making a difference, given his 1-5 record at Great American Ballpark.

Bet on Cubs ML (-130) at FanDuel

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